TORONTO – Martin Hanzal scored the go-ahead goal and Mike Smith stopped 24 of 25 shots as the Arizona Coyotes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Thursday night.
Phil Kessel scored Toronto's goal that came in the first period. The Leafs led 1-0 until Arizona's Oliver Ekman-Larsson netted a short-handed soft shot past Jonathan Bernier just five seconds into the third period.
It seemed like just a harmless flip from almost his own blue-line off the opening faceoff but got past Bernier to tie it 1-1.
Just under four minutes later, Hanzal banked the puck off Bernier's back from the goal-line to make it 2-1, and Sam Gagner added a power play goal with 3/12 minutes left to put the game away. Keith Yandle and Martin Erat collected assists on that goal and Gagner and Lauri Korpikoski had one assist each.
Bernier stopped 42 of the 45 shots he faced, but two goals in less than four minutes were too much to overcome for Toronto, which fell to 0-7-1 in its past eight games.
Smith gave up a soft goal of his own to Kessel. He took a pass from James van Riemsdyk on the rush and beat Smith five-hole at 16:33 for his 20th of the season.
Before facing the Coyotes (17-25-6), Kessel hadn't scored an even-strength goal in 18 games.
Gagner's goal came on a deflection when a point shot from Yandle went off him and might have hit Hanzal in front before going in. But Gagner was awarded the goal.
Arizona's 45 shots were its most this year, and this month, Bernier has a .887 save percentage.
That hasn't helped the Leafs during their transition to interim coach Peter Horachek's more defensive style. They've scored a total of seven goals during the eight-game skid.
The Leafs also have been hit by injuries.
Winger Joffrey Lupul returned from an 11-game absence to face the Coyotes, but captain Dion Phaneuf and fellow defenceman Stephane Robidas remained out.
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